Promise
by Electric Soul
Summary: Scared of losing Sebastian who is his one and only friend, Ciel wants him to keep a promise that perhaps he can never even hold. [Sebastian x Ciel, AU/OOC]


This is my first Sebastian x Ciel fanfic and this would be a short story with multiple chapters, so the chapters would be long - I hope you like it.

*NOTE: This chapter is from little Ciel's point of view.

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**Blue devils lingered while crows shrieked without sympathy.**

While specks of dawn were dying, aurora's frigid breath was fading and faint rays of the sun were shooting through the panes to deter the darkness that conquered the room, I sat on the bed with my back pressed against the elegant headboard and laid my dim cerulean eyes upon one of the rather large windows. The silhouettes of crows irked me, the emptiness in my room was a great bother and I hated how the room was hemmed in by silence. I tried to perceive the world as a dream, but I knew it was impossible for mere mortals to fight reality. The morning gleam I used to admire seemed bleak, the clouds that were supposed to appear flawless were ashen, the dulcet chirps of innocent birds were replaced with bitter caws, the clock on the bedside table ticked very slowly that it caused me to consider each day as a year — I figured everything around me turned dull ever since I fell into the pit of solitude and I wondered how was I going to spend my life in this nebulous world.

A bird perched by the window I had been gazing at for quite a while, flapping its pitch-black feathers which crows own. It was not facing me and for the fact that animals would never understand a chamber's beauty, I was sure those ugly eyes were fixed on the tall trees that surrounded my manor. Without thinking twice, I swung both of my legs out of the warm covers and pushed myself off the bed to walk over to the window. Its existence made me grit my teeth and turn my hands into fists with exasperation. All it did was caw, loudly and there was no reason other than it wished to make my ears bleed. I halted when I was a few inches away from the window and stared at the creature's form with disgust. I watched as it hunched its back and jerked its neck from left to right like a clueless being. I could feel my brows knit and I could tell I was losing composure. It did not notice me and that was perfect, because I had a plan that would relief me. I raised one of my fists alongside a grimace and slammed my knuckles hard into the pane which stood behind the crow. The glass was thick, so I did not care even if I punched it for a hundred times. Lifting my chin in satisfaction, my lips curled into a smirk the instant the loud thud sent the bird flying to the woods where I assumed its hideous nest was built.

I dropped my hand to my side when the bird flew out of my sight, both of my fists unclenched and the smirk on my face faltered as I observed my reflection on the window. I trailed my glance down from my dark eyebrows to the tip of my chin, there was nothing wrong with my features... Yet, I looked different and I realized I was not acting like myself. I used to ignore the birds which perched by the windows and that day, I seemed so excited to scare the crow. I realized as well that... I could be cruel or rather insane when I lose my temper. I let a heavy sigh escape my lips and lowered my eyelids to shove that devilish countenance of mine. It was all because I could not accept the death, was it not? It had been two days since I lost him... And I already felt sick. My dog, Sebastian... Died on my birthday. Why did it have to be on that special day? I might be exaggerating as if I had lost a family member, but they did not have any idea how much Sebastian meant to me.

Tired of looking at my clone in the window, I turned my head over my shoulder to place my attention on the classic two-footed clock settled on the wooden bedside table. It was seven forty-five in the morning. Usually, the Footman would enter my room together with Sebastian later at eight and the dog would wake me up by nuzzling my cheek before the Footman greeted me... However, only memories would stick to my mind and my pet would not stay by my side anymore.

My eyes then, traveled across the spacious room and stopped right at the corner where my dog's fancy cushion was still situated. I recalled his large frame and the unique style he would sit on the soft pad, the roll of his brown eyes, the way his black coat would shine in the sunlight, simply like any Groenendael (Belgian Shepard) dog would glow. He was my only companion, a wonderful best friend of mine. When I mentioned that, it was true that I did not have any other friend than him. I found that making friends was difficult... I just did not know how to interact with them. My parents would say I was a shy person, though I did not agree with them for they did not know how tight the awkwardness would embrace me every time I tried to start a conversation with someone until some of them called me arrogant, especially the ones who shared the same age, or thought I was as meek as a lamb. I was not worried about my odd manner and I actually did not mind what people thought of me as long as I had Sebastian.

Talking to a dog was a far cry from talking to someone. I tried to communicate with my cousins as we often met and I failed to keep the chat longer. It was either my questions were too formal or they were completely irrelevant. I had tried a lot of times and I supposed I did not trust the ones who said 'practice makes perfect'. They sought perfection and I comprehended that not an iota of it was carved in my soul... So why should I hang out with them? With Sebastian, my days were brighter as he never missed to make me smile since I was three years old. There were times that I got upset or that I got into a bad mood and if Sebastian caught me sitting alone, he would have sat next to me and kept me company. I would tell him everything I really wanted to let out and I felt comfortable albeit he could not give me any advice, at least he could sense my feelings and he willed to wait up to the bit I was fine again. He was such an amazing dog and now, he was gone... Who could I get along with?

I spun my head to face the window after a long stare at the dog's cushion, stood on my little toes and set my eyes down on the garden from the second floor of my mansion. I rested a hand on the bottom part of the wooden window frame as I leaned my face closer to the glass so that I could afford to note the silvery flowers along with the small trees dance from above, telling me that the weather was pretty windy. The petals and leaves sparkled beautifully under the weak illumination, making me believe that the Gardener had recently showered all of them. The garden was covered with nothing more than two shades; White and green. Not that my family did not adore colorful things, but they loved how the white flowers adorned the green area and for I was raised by them, I got infected by their interest — The color of purity, untainted as we wished our dignity to be.

Before long, my pupils dilated as soon as the leaves belonged to the hedge rustled, wildly. I focused on the particular spot with a frown and tried to guess what kind of creature was hiding in one of those bushes until a black animal jumped out of the thick growth. I narrowed my eyes in order to snatch a better vision while the four-legged being trotted towards the forest. It only took a second or two for me to identify the animal and my frown disappeared, my eyes stopped straining — It was a black cat with a white mark capping the tip of its long tail. It was rare to find a cat wandering in my estate and I had never taken a closer look as they all seemed ordinary to me, but this time... There was something special about the cat that I abruptly had the urge to chase it. Sebastian and the cat had nothing in common except for the color of their coat and it was not like I was seeking a replacement because of the loss; What beckoned me was the dissimilar aura that the feline possessed.

_Should I go after it?_

Well... Wondering was not enough. If I was wrong and I found the cat plain, I did not think I had wasted my time when curiosity clung to me. I swallowed hard, tightened my grip on the window frame, eagerly and shifted my position ever so slightly to glimpse back at the small clock. Twelve minutes to eight o'clock, I had twelve minutes left before the Footman walked in. Of course, I would need some time to tip-toe out of the mansion, but I was sure I could return to my room by that hour. I did not want any of the servants to know that I left my room without a bath and appropriate clothes, let alone for the sake of a cat. I returned my concentration to the black feline and almost winced as the embarrassing thought crossed my mind. _How childish..._ I would not let that happen, I must get things done, swiftly — As agile as a ghost.

I studied as the cat neared the woods and released the window frame earlier than I decided to jog over to the bed and pick the night slippers that sat next to the furniture with a hand. I rushed to the door, twisted the knob with my other hand and pulled the door open rather slowly to not let the creak echo the quiet corridor before craning my neck forward to see if someone was near my room. On the right, there was a Maid standing at the end of the passage with her fingertips on either side of a hanging golden frame which trapped a gorgeous painting of a black swan, fixing the angle of the rectangle figure from tilting to a side. As my bedroom was sort of close to the rear of the other side of the corridor, our distance was very far and what was better was that the Maid was not facing me. I was glad yet, I was certain the Maid would not take long to fix the frame's position, so I quickly exited the room and drew the door behind me as far as I heard a barely audible click. Seeing that the floor was also carpeted like the one in my room, I dared to sprint to the stairway that would lead me down to the hall for I knew footsteps on such soft surface would not break the silence.

I held the rail with my free hand and my pace went a little slow once I stepped on the stairs. There were times that I watched my back, but I laid my attention upon what was in front of me just as I left the first flight of stairs in case there was another servant walking up. Endlessly, my eyes wandered the empty hall that was lit by poor rays of the sun that dashed through each enormous windows while I ran down the second flight of steps, which was the last. I must keep my eyes open there and be careful since all of the servants were performing their duties. One of the servants might catch me any minute now and the thought of it made me nervous like a vulnerable animal would feel when it was attempting not to wake its predator; I had never moved in such stealthy manner and it seemed like I did not have any trouble on my very first act yet still, I would not allow joy to control me until I truly managed to sneak out of the manor without any pair of eyes following me.

The bit my feet were close to touching the hall's marble floor, I tugged at my lower lip with my teeth and stood on the final stair like a fool. I should not have paused in a situation like this regardless of how much I hated pressing my soles against the cold floor, but my body stopped on its own as if it needed a moment to accept the fact that I had no other options. It did not matter how bad I wished to wear my night slippers, I had to force myself and run with my bare feet or else, my footfalls would be heard by the servants. I jumped off the carpeted level and landed on the icy surface with a flinch; The coldness nipped my skin, sank into my flesh and stung my bones whilst I sped to the rear of the mansion. I had not felt such pain for years and because I had to bear it as long as I made my way to the back doors, the pain simply made me think that the journey was long.

Listening to the sudden thuds of a servant's heels along with the barbaric rhythm of my heartbeat, I halted before the double-doors that would lead me straight to the garden and turned one of the handles very slowly. I gulped hard and my palms started to sweat; I could not ignore the uneasy feeling when I could feel the servant approaching the hall from who knew which room, just I hoped he or she did not notice where I was. I pulled the heavy door with a quiet 'mmph' and crept out to the broad porch before shutting the door, gently. I then, hastened across the grey tiled porch to take the several stairs and drop my night slippers on the grass for my feet to slide in. While my night dress was clutched with a hand and lifted until my knees were revealed, I hurried to the right side of the lawn where the black feline previously went through. My legs swung without difficulty now that my dress was held shorter and it was nice that I could also run faster than I did back in the mansion.

Later as I passed the garden, I finally spotted the cat slinking to a particular tree. I halted in my pace once I was rather close to the animal and began to move towards it like a stalker would. Rising my free hand to tuck the messy fringe of my bluish-black hair that swayed before my irises behind my ear, I stole a glance at the roots of the tall tree which the cat was so interested in. From my distance, I did not see a bird or anything that was moving, yet I believed there was some kind of insect that the feline was aiming. The black cat stopped walking after a little while, wagged its long tail earlier than it leaped to the roots to capture that _something_ and oh, I was wrong; it was not an insect and it made me curious when the cat started to chew on the object, so I stepped closer to the creature. Its fur was shiny, its form was beautiful and it was a female cat... I wondered if it was wild because if it was not, perhaps I would take it as a pet and it could be my next best friend.

"Are you here yet, Dot?"

The voice pierced my ears merely before I had the chance to crouch behind the cat. My upper body was already bent, but I did not have the courage to shift even the slightest considering that there was someone else in the area. My eyes drifted to and fro, my breathing was kept calm, I was not panic, at least not yet. The tone sounded like a child around my age, though I could not tell whether it belonged to a girl or a boy.

Almost a minute passed, I straightened myself and took a couple steps back, quickly alongside a loud gasp as soon as a head peeked around the same tree. The stranger simultaneously gasped with his eyes widened, placing his five pale fingers on one side of the huge trunk. We stared at each other, both of us did not say a word or make a move for we were surprised and it was only after a few seconds that the boy decided to step aside and show his full figure. He was scarcely taller than me. His black hair was not very long and I guessed it solely reached his nape, however, there were longer strands covering either side of his face. He was casually dressed, white short-sleeved shirt with collar matched with faded trousers and dull brown shoes — Typical.

The innocent boy walked over to me at a slow pace as if he did not wish me to run away. My hands were shaking, I started to drag in and release shuddering breaths. He did not look dangerous and still, I was anxious as I was in front of my cousins or people my age. "Good morning," said the stranger, lowering his eyelids to change his expression into a calm one; Too bad his face did not comfort me. "That cat is my pet," he stopped walking before our distance was too close then, twisted his body ever so slightly to point at the cat behind him with his index finger,"Dot is her name... I had to place some treat there so that she won't enter the garden and make a mess," dropping his arm, he tilted his head in the garden's direction and straightened his posture, "I don't dare go farther seeing that it's -...," he paused to seize a quick glance at my night dress, "... It's your territory," he finished and rubbed the back of his neck with a low chuckle. The stranger answered all of my silent questions, but I was embarrassed for I obviously looked like I had just woken up.

We let an awkward silence stretch between us, yet before long, the boy broke it in a somewhat hurried tone, "Oh, I should go now - I'm sorry, I'll never come here again," his gaze fell to his cat that was now slithering about his calf, "Have a nice day," he set his eyes upon mine with a fine smile before spinning around and jogging off together with his black cat. '_No, no, no... Where is he going?'_ He was a lot nicer than the ones I had ever met, he did not give me such annoyed face like most children did, he could be my first _human_ friend — '_I'm not letting him go.'_

"It's nice to meet you!" my pitch was cracky and a little high that it rendered the boy stop with a jerk. "It's nice to meet you," I said it once again in a hushed tone and wended my way to him, who was glimpsing over his shoulder and standing not too far from me. "I... I'm Ciel Phantomhive," ceasing my pace when we were close enough, I loosened my grip on my cotton dress until the piece slipped away from my fingertips, "What's your name?" The stranger offered me a bright grin and slowly, turned around to face me with his right hand extended for a handshake, "Sebastian Michaelis, it's a pleasure to meet you." I blinked once in wonderment at the name and shook his hand with my slightly trembling own without hesitation as my breathing slowed down; it had been a while since I last called that name, hearing it another time soothed me, "P- please, come over with your cat when you are free... I'd like to see you two again." He nodded, keeping the grin on his lips, "Alright, I will try. See you later, Ciel!" he waved bye at me and traversed the woods with his meowing pet. The last words that slid off my tongue were a beg, actually. I would love Sebastian to come to my place often, like everyday...

So I would not feel lonely anymore.

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Should I continue? Please, review and tell me what you think - Thank you for reading!


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